The term “urban contemporary” was coined to make radio stations that played black music more appealing to advertisers. But its use means that no matter the variety of music black artists make — it's all swept into the same limiting category.
of police activity. Black radio has long had a central role in Black resistance."We can't lose track of what the main issue is," Mitchell says,"and that's calling for racial equality in the music industry."
The furor over the industry's initial refusal to classify either Beyonce's"Daddy Lessons" or Lil Nas X's"Old Town Road" as country songs stands as a prime example of Crumpton's point. The contradictory narrowness and breadth of the"urban" genre has, ironically, meant that no matter what kind of music black artists actually make, they areMusic and culture writer Sharine Taylor concurs.
Republic Records' stance seems to be an attempt to get it right this time. But Crumpton thinks the onus is on a different organization: The Recording Academy."[T]he industry is built upon The Recording Academy; an institution with historic wrongdoings against Black artists and their music. The Recording Academy has the chance to rectify its wrongs and push the industry forward.
"The problem is that genre is ever-changing," says Harding."How do we encapsulate the ways in which people listen to and make music, and make sure there is space to specifically serve black audiences, without cordoning off that music from the rest of the pop sphere?"
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